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Golden jubilee of Nepal, Pak diplomatic ties
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Pakistani embassy here is planning to mark the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Nepal and Pakistan with various programmes in March. The two sides established diplomatic ties in 1960. Both sides had agreed to celebrate the golden jubilee of their formal relations last year.
Essay writing competition among Nepali students, golf tournament, single country trade exhibition titled ‘ Made in Pakistan,’ cultural performance by a Pakistani singer and musical groups of Nepal and launching of book Gandhara civilisation will be the prime highlights of the celebration.
Similarly, launching of a book on common words in Nepali and Urdu languages, speech contest among Pakistani students in Nepal, Pakistan day celebration and inauguration of Pakistani-Nepal chamber of commerce are other programmes set by the embassy.
Panel okays long-term population plan
A meeting of the National Population Committee held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Madhav Nepal this week endorsed a long-term population plan.
The 20-year plan formulated by Ministry of Health and Population aims at contributing to poverty alleviation through proper management of the population.
The plan includes nine different subject matters including analysis and evaluation of the population status, population and economic zones, migration, reproductive health, gender equality, women empowerment and decentralization, according to Health Minister Umakant Chaudhary. This was the second ever meeting of the committee formed 11 years ago to formulate the plan.
House panel seeks arms details from govt
The state Affairs Committee of the parliament has directed the prime minister to furnish the details about the arms and ammunition purchased or received by the country after the Constituent Assembly election within a week.
The committee also drew the prime minister’s attention to seek national consensus on sensitive issues like national security policy.
The committee also asked the prime minister, who is also the chairman of the Constitutional Council, to inform the committee about the recommendations for appointments in constitutional bodies after holding the meeting of the council.
The committee also asked the prime minister to take initiatives to sort out the differences among the political parties toward making new constitution and taking the peace process to a logical end.
Saying that the committee’s attention has been drawn at the contradictions between the remarks of different ministers and formal statements of the prime minister, the committee asked the government to make its views clear and free from controversy.
The committee also drew the prime minister’s attention to take encourage the morale of civil servants through transfer and promotion within the law and strictly implement the provision on compulsory service at the assigned duty station.
Decrease in number of malaria patients
The number of patients suffering from malaria has decreased by 86 per cent in Kanchanpur district which is one of the districts at high risk of malaria.
The decrease in the number of patients suffering from the tropical disease has been attributed to the use of mosquito nets treated in pesticide, spraying of anti-mosquito pesticide and implementation of public awareness programmes in an effective way.
According to the District Public Health Office, Kanchanpur, the number of patients suffering from malaria in the district in 2002 was 8,000 and it decreased to 4,300 in 2003.
However, the number of malaria patients increased in the district in 2004 as health services could not be extended in the rural areas in effective manner due to the conflict.
The District Public Health Office said the number of malaria patients in the district in 2005 was 10,091, five hundred and seventy-three in 2006, three hundred and forty-four in 2007 and one hundred and ninety in 2008.
Similarly, the number of malaria patients fell down to one hundred and fifty-nine in 2009 and not a single case has been found in 2010.
Memorandum handed over to NHRC
The Ban Landmine Campaign Nepal has complained that the landmine and explosives could not be removed even after three years of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord between the government and the UCPN-Maoist.
Campaign Convener Purnashova Chitrakar made the comment while submitting a memorandum to National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Spokesman Gauri Pradhan for creating pressure for the ratification of the Ottowa Treaty from state side.
On the occasion, Commission Member Gauri Pradhan said it is irresponsible of the government not to stop human loss in various accidents because of lack of abidance of the peace accord and non removal of the landmine by the state, and promised to request the government by studying the report for the ratification of the treaty.
Forty nations had ratified the Ottawa treaty of 1997 on March 1 on banning of use of landmine targeted against humans, its storage, production and trafficking as well as destruction, and have been included as the UN resolution.
People are either disabled or killed from such landmines and explosives laid by the army and the Maoists.
The NHRC was requested to pressurize the government to sign the treaty and not to lose the opportunity to side with peace and humanity from dillydallying on the same even as Nepal government has the responsibility from the minister level decision with concerned committees already formed.
29 Billion to be spent through United Nations
A total amount of Rs. 29 billion is planned to be spent in the areas of peace building, human rights, sustainable livelihood and basic services under different 23 agencies of the United Nations (UN) during 2008-10.
At an interaction programme organized here today on “Participation of students in development”, Citizen’s Campaign for Equality, Peace and Development (CCEPD) Coordinator Dr. Tirtha Raj Luitel informed an amount of Rs. seven billion would be expensed in peace building area, four billion in human rights, seven billion in sustainable livelihood and 11 billion in the area of basic services.
The interaction programme was organized by CCEPD and Students’ Parliament in the University organized the programme.
Stressing on the formulation of strategy that each donor organization would allocate 25 per cent of the total assistant amount in administrative, monitoring, training and assessment, he added the policy of distributing 75 per cent of the assistance directly by students to develop modern VDCs should be formulated.
He also made it clear as how college students could make significant contribution to modernize 4,000 VDCs with an annual amount of Rs. 65,000,000.
On the occasion, Japanese national Takasi Miyahara presented a plan to make Nepal a prosperous country within 20 years.
Chairperson of Students’ Parliament in University Voilentica Ghimire presented a working paper on the establishment of students’ parliament in the university and its duty.
Around 125 students from 10 government schools of Kathmandu took part in the programme.
This amount has been spent in Nepal through 243 international NGOs affiliated to Social Welfare Council (SWC).
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